Orange Beach and hurricanes (Mobile, Gulf Shores: insurance, hotel, house)

[brandnu2area]

Originally Posted by freshlemonade

Hello; sure would appreciate some input re: northeast Alabama. Anything pertinent (not touristy info) re: Ft. Payne, Mentone, & Pisgah. Also; what about the Pisgah Gorge? What about living up on a Brow or Bluff; do I want to do that?

This gal is tired of running from hurricanes; living in the Gulf Shores/Pensacola area is fine except for that.

Would love to relocate; buy or build & would appreciate genuine info & not have to relocate there without really knowing enough about it.

We just moved here to Orange Beach and that HURRICANE STUFF has me worried. Now seeing your post; I am reallyyyyyy concerned. I dont want to be running either. Let me know more info.

[brandnu2area]

Anyone with info on the Hurricane Stuff feel free to post.

[Keeper]

I moved your post to the Mobile forum.

The good folks on this forum have more experience in dealing with hurricanes in that area.

[mccarley]

I under stand your worry. We moved to the Mississippi coast three months prioe to Katrina. We knew nothing about hurricanes, except that if you were warned to evacuate, you should. Katrina hit and we evacuated just like we were told. We were one of the few lucky families on the Kississippi coast as we didn't have a lot of damage. But, almost everything that we moved down here for was gone. I guess the advice I would give is make sure you have flood insurance and leave if a hurricane comes.

[PaandGeGe]

Originally Posted by brandnu2area

We just moved here to Orange Beach and that HURRICANE STUFF has me worried. Now seeing your post; I am reallyyyyyy concerned. I dont want to be running either. Let me know more info.

We live in Orange Beach and advise that you either learn to deal with the storms as a part of life, or move further inland. People who have learned to deal with the storms have developed an attitude that they need to save what's important and regard all the rest as just "stuff" that can be replaced. I recommend that you prepare for the season with the necessary supplies (bottled water, canned food, batteries, a generator, a solar or wind-up radio, powdered milk, etc.), AND make a list of ALL of the important stuff you need to take with you when you need to evacuate (insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, checkbook, valuables, prescription meds, medical records, etc.). We keep our most important documents in a large binder so we can grab it, check our list, and go. Also, make certain that you have photographs of your house (interior and exterior), AND all personal property. We found this very helpful to our insurance adjuster after the major damage we sustained after Hurricane Ivan.

Also, it is wise to book hotel reservations as soon as there is a storm coming into the gulf. Some of our friends only go 30 to 60 miles north of Orange Beach; others go 100 to 200 miles north. It all depends on what makes you feel most comfortable and how long you want to drive to get out of harm's way. If the storm moves away from your area, be sure to cancel your reservation and allow someone else who is evacuating to take your place at that hotel.

We are originally from the midwest, and maintain close contact with friends and family there. Many of them can't imagine living with hurricanes; it does take a certain kind of attitude to live here and maintain a level of calm and happiness. Only you can make the right decision for yourself and your family - do what makes you happy.